Double shot of winter on the way for Waterloo-Wellington; snowfall warnings posted

Guelph Mercury

Get your shovels and snow blowers ready: A double-shot of heavy snow is on the way for southern Ontario starting Tuesday night.

Environment Canada snowfall warnings are posted across a swath of the province, from Lake Huron to Lake Ontario.

More than 15 centimetres of snow is expected to fall between sunset and sunrise across the regions of Waterloo, York and Durham; the counties of Wellington, Huron, Perth and Dufferin; and the City of Hamilton.

Snow is expected to start falling in the Kitchener-Guelph area around the supper hour Tuesday, as a storm from Texas arrives and temperatures fall to freezing.

A heavy snowfall warning is issued when at least 15 centimetres of snow is expected to fall in 12-hours.

Most of the wet snow is expected to accumulate after midnight, said Geoff Coulson, an emergency preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada.

“Elevation is going to play a role: higher elevations, the (Niagara) escarpment, could see a little more. Lower elevations, slightly less,” Coulson said.

“We’re going to be flirting with the freezing mark. A half a degree of difference above or below is going to make a big difference.”

Snow is expected to ease by mid-day Wednesday, before a second wave arrives Wednesday evening. If the back end of the storm develops as expected, expect another five centimetres of wet snow, Coulson said.

Periods of light snow are expected to linger Thursday and into Friday, Coulson said.

A high pressure system is forecast to arrive for the weekend, bringing bright, clear skies and below-normal temperatures to Waterloo-Wellington. Look for a high of -4 C on Sunday, when the normal high is around freezing.